No doubt one of the most famous and influencial tribe in iran. here is some pictures of them:

just beautiful culture:

poor cheetahs:

the bakhtiaris if i am not wrong, played an important part in iran's constitutional revolution in early 1900s'.

Bakhtiaris in Meidan-e Shah, Esfahan May - june 1909

My mother's father's family is originally from Ahvaz (they were not arab by the way), I don't know if they actually had Bahktiari blood or not (since bakhtiaris also live in Khuzistan province) though. But I am really fund of their culture and regard them as my heritage.

Kurdish nationalists claim every Iranian people that lives in the mountains of West Iran as Kurds because the Kurds have a nomadic/rural culture which is basically Iranic in root, so it is similar to rural Persians. I don't like that sort of nationalist logic.

Lur is the title of a group of Iranians living in the mountainous areas of the south-west, mainly in Lurestan province. On the basis of historical evidence, the Lur appear to be of the same ethnic origin as the Kurds.

The Luri language is affixed to the old Iranian language, which suggests the length of time that the Lur have lived in Iran. It is close to Kurdish, but is an independent language in its own right.

There are four main Lur groups: the Bala Garideh, Delfan, Selseleh and Tarhan. The Bala Garideh are the genuineLur who are divided into important tribes such as Dirakvand, Janaki, Amaleh, Sagvand, etc.

The perceptive man is he who knows about himself, for in self-knowledge and insight lays knowledge of the holiest.
~ Khushal Khan Khattak

The Bakhtiyari tribe is composed of the clans living in the mountainous regions between the Chaharmahal, Fars, Khuzistan (the Taftoon Field), and Lurestan provinces.

The tribe is divided into two separate branches: Haft Gang and Chahar Gang. The former consists of 55 and the latter of 24 clans. The Arabian and Lur clans mix together in the Bakhtiari tribe. The Bakhtiari tribe is also called the Great Lur. Scholars have differing opinions on its origin. However, the opinion mostly adhered to and more extensively documented maintains the Bakhtiaris are of Kurdish origin. The Bakhtiari overlords have been influential in political developments since the era of the Safavids and the Nader Shah. Some of their leaders helped constitutional revolutionaries conquer Tehran during the Period of Minor Despotism. That was when the Qajar king, Mohammad Ali Shah, suspended the parliament and the constitution in 1907.

The perceptive man is he who knows about himself, for in self-knowledge and insight lays knowledge of the holiest.
~ Khushal Khan Khattak

Yes, and Kurds in my area still speak a langauge which is considered Kurdish but is a dialect of Pahlavi and as highlighted in another thread another dialect of this, "Sangesari" exists in North Eastern/Central Iran - the reason such languages are lumped with Kurdish is because Kurdish languages still retain many many archaic Iranian features than modern Persian thus making them more compatible with the branch classified as Kurdish.

Yes, and Kurds in my area still speak a langauge which is considered Kurdish but is a dialect of Pahlavi and as highlighted in another thread another dialect of this, "Sangesari" exists in North Eastern/Central Iran - the reason such languages are lumped with Kurdish is because Kurdish languages still retain many many archaic Iranian features than modern Persian thus making them more compatible with the branch classified as Kurdish.

I see, thanks for the explanation. I think the main question as to whether their language and culture is Iranian has already been answered. Whether Kurdish or Persian, they are stll an Iranic people.

The perceptive man is he who knows about himself, for in self-knowledge and insight lays knowledge of the holiest.
~ Khushal Khan Khattak

I come from a Bakhtiari family, and I can attest to the fact that
Bakhtiaris speak Luri, not a dialect of Persian. Although, Luri is very
similar to Persian. Bakhtiaris consider themselves to be a Luri
tribe.

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